Fastener



Dec. 7 1926.

w. a. FRANCIS FASTENER Filed March 1923 FIE! l AM ITTOEN Y5 Patented Dec. 7, I926.

I UNITED STATES WALTER B. FRANCIS OI OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

FASTENEIR.

Application filed March 21, 1923. Serial No. 626,645.

The invention relates to a fastener for securing wire fabric in spaced relation to a wall. 3

An object of the invention is to provide a cheap and simple fastener adapted to be driven into a wall, to support wire fabric in spaced relation to the wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fastener made of a single piece of wire.

Another object of, the invention is to provide a fastener to which the wire fabrieis locked by the act of driving the fastener home.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fastener which will simultaneously position two courses of wire fabric.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description, where I shall outline in full that form of theinventionwhich I have selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present' specification. In said drawings I have shown one specific form of the fastener'of my invention, but it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to such form, since the invention, as set forth in the claims, may be embodied in a plurality of forms.

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the fastener of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross section of a wall showing the fastener of my invention used for the purpose of spacing-wire fabrics with relation to the wall, the fatener being shown in actual size; and

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a wall showing courses of wire fabric arranged thereon by the fasteners of my invention.

The fastener of my invention is formed of a single piece of wire which is bent or shaped to provide the various'elements of the fastener. The fastener com rises a nail, or body portion 2, which is a apted to be driven into the wall by impact against the head 3. The head is formed principally be low the plane of the nail and preferably at right angles thereto and is connected to the nail by an inclined neck portion 4 which meets the head in a smooth curve 5, thus forming a groove 6 for the reception of a strand of wire fabricv to be supported. At its lower end, the head 3 is formed with a hooked portion 7, the leg 8 of which extends upward in spaced relation to and substan- --tially parallel to the head 3, thusforming an upwardly opening groove or aperture 9 for the reception of a strand of the wire fabric. At the upper end the leg 8 is bent downward to form a foot 12 which is adapted to contact with the surface of the wall into which the nail is driven. Impact against the head 3, after the foot 12 hascontacted with the wall causes the upper endof the leg 8 to move toward the head 3, thereby constricting the aperture 9 so that the wire fabric positioned therein is locked in place. I Heretofore, in the construction of houses coated with plaster or cement, it has been customary to nail wooden furring strips to the wooden wall sheathing of the house and to tack the wire fabric to the furring strip. Theplaster is then applied to the wall and embeds the wire netting and the furring strip and the wire netting serves to reinforce the plaster or cement and hold it in place. The bond between the plaster or cement and the metal fabric is good, but the bond between the plaster and the wood is very poor so that an unsatisfactory job often resulted.

In using the fastener of my invention, the

building paper is first put on the wall by tacking, it at spaced intervals, the tacking being ust enough to hold the paper in place.

Then a row of fasteners are driven into the.

wall along the top, of the building at the'line where the first course 13 of wire netting is to be started.' These fasteners are driven in only part way and the upper edge of the wire fabric is hooked into the grooves 9 in the upper row of fasteners. The fabric is then stretched and a second row of fasteners is driven into the wall at the lower edge of the course 13, with the nail passing through the fabric directly above the lower strand 14 of the upper course of fabric. This row of fasteners is not driven home and the upper strand 15 of the next course of fabric is hooked into the aperture 9 of the second row of fasteners. Other fasteners are also driven into the wall at intervals over the surface of the net-ting and in these fasteners the strand of the wire netting engages in the aperture 9. .After the fabric has been hung and stretched, then all of the fasteners are driven up tight and in this operation the foot 12 contacts with the wall and further impact against the fastener flattens the head of the fastener and closes the aperture 9 so that the strand of wire engaged therein the nail is driven contracts the aperture, all

the parts of the fastener lying in one plane. 2. A fastener formed from a single piece of wire of uniform cross-section comprisin a nail, and a hook-shaped head on the nai said hook being adapted to be closed b impact against the head when the head 15 in contact with the surface into which th nail is driven.

3. A fastener comprising a nail a head lying substantially at a right angle to the nail, an inclined neck connecting the head and the .nail and forming a downwardly opening groove and an up-turned hook at the other end of the head forming an upwardly opening groove.

4-. A fastener comprising a nail a head lying substantially at a right angle to the nail, an inclined neck connecting the head and the nail and forming a downwardly opening groove, an up-turned hook at the foot on the end of the leg'ada te other end of the head forming an upwardopcning groove and a downwardly turned f dot on the inner end of the hook.

5. A single piece of wire comprising a nail, a downwardly turned head, an inclined neck connecting the nail and the head, an upwardly extending leg on the head underlying the nail, and a downwardl turned to contactwith the surface into whic the nail is driven so that impact against the head of the nail causes the head to approach the upper end of the foot.

6. YA fastener for securing wire fabric in spaced relation to a wall, com rising a nail adapted to penetrate the wall and a head on the nail having downwardly opening and upwardly opening recesses to receive strands of the fabric all the parts of the fastener. lying in one plane.

7. A lath staple comprising a length of wire having one end formed into a driven element having-a lateral extension at its upper end, said lateral extension terminating in an outwardly-bowed downwardly-extending operatively bendable section, the latter terminating in a spacing element. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

WALTER B. FRANCIS. 

